If you ask any techie the question "Is The PC Dieing?" and chances are the answer will be "Yes". Even on our own HWBOT forums, we see in an increasing negative view on the future of high-end desktop computing and the overclocking related to it. Indeed, if you look at the sheer numbers of the desktop PC sales you could make the argument the market is shrinking. But shrinking does not mean dieing, and it does not mean bad news. Dan Snyder, Intel technical PR, gave a brief interview at Thestreet.com and address this specific topic.

"Saying an entire market is dead is kind of shortsighted," Snyder said. "Some, like the all-in-ones, are growing. Are we focusing a lot on mobile? Of course. We think mobile is the trend of the future. But as you can see with the fourth-generation Core, we announced just as many (models) for desktop as mobile."

Ironically, desktop enthusiasts are the ones who set the trends for computing. We're not talking mainstream users, but rather the video editors, gamers and system builders. They are the ones who want faster chips with better performance, and they're willing to spend generously on the latest technology. Companies, like Intel, won't ignore that.

"The enthusiast community isn't huge but it won't disappear overnight," Snyder said. "At Computex (a computer show in Taipei last week), we did a huge overclocking event," he said, referring to the process of running a computer component at a higher number of clock cycles per second than it was designed to handle. "It was packed to the rafters. They were up till 5 a.m. That crowd is not going to disappear and they influence a lot of decisions as well."

says:

3 year and 6 months ago –
"At Computex (a computer show in Taipei last week), we did a huge overclocking event," he said, referring to the process of running a computer component at a higher number of clock cycles per second than it was designed to handle. "It was packed to the rafters. They were up till 5 a.m. That crowd is not going to disappear and they influence a lot of decisions as well."
I like that :)

3 year and 6 months ago –
You know why the Enthusiast community is shrinking? Because locks out of overclocking anything except what they deem is OK.I miss the days where you could overclock anything :(

3 year and 6 months ago –
I wonder how much people would jump on the K/X-sku train if Intel would also release a Core i3 K-sku CPU. Let's say something like Core i3 4370K with 2 cores, no HT but at the price point of USD $150-$175. For sure, it wouldn't be useful in most of the current 3D benchmarks, but it would serve a great purpose for enthusiasts that like to fiddle with things. In my opinion, Intel should have a K sku for each of their product lines:
- Core i7 (4c/8t) => 4770K at $340
- Core i5 (4c/4t) => 4670K at $250
- Core i3 (2c/4t) => 4370K at $160
- Pentium (2c/2t) => G3430K at $100
The idea behind the K sku from a marketing point of view is to create a halo product. Customers aspire to "one day" get a premium K sku for overclocking, but settle for a regular non-K for economical users. In other words, the idea is that non-K users will eventually move to the more expensive K-sku series. But what is the point of creating the Halo product if your customers cannot get familiar with the benefits of having a K-sku? Today, people know you can overclock with a K sku processor, but this idea is just in theory and not in practice. No budget "prospect enthusiasts" can get a real feel of what it's like to own a K sku. They cannot feel the benefit of having an overclockable CPU.
I reckon if you make K/overclockable accessible to all price ranges, the upgrade path will change from "non K -> K customer" to "low end K -> high end K customer".
If there is anything I have learned over the years spent in the overclocking community, it is that overclocking is much MUCH more than just the fastest and most expensive hardware. Just look at the G80 rankings: very old hardware, but still good for hours and hours of overclocking fun!

Massman said: I wonder how much people would jump on the K/X-sku train if Intel would also release a Core i3 K-sku CPU. Let's say something like Core i3 4370K with 2 cores, no HT but at the price point of USD $150-$175. For sure, it wouldn't be useful in most of the current 3D benchmarks, but it would serve a great purpose for enthusiasts that like to fiddle with things. In my opinion, Intel should have a K sku for each of their product lines:

The idea behind the K sku from a marketing point of view is to create a halo product. Customers aspire to "one day" get a premium K sku for overclocking, but settle for a regular non-K for economical users. In other words, the idea is that non-K users will eventually move to the more expensive K-sku series. But what is the point of creating the Halo product if your customers cannot get familiar with the benefits of having a K-sku? Today, people know you can overclock with a K sku processor, but this idea is just in theory and not in practice. No budget "prospect enthusiasts" can get a real feel of what it's like to own a K sku. They cannot feel the benefit of having an overclockable CPU.

I reckon if you make K/overclockable accessible to all price ranges, the upgrade path will change from "non K -> K customer" to "low end K -> high end K customer".

If there is anything I have learned over the years spent in the overclocking community, it is that overclocking is much MUCH more than just the fastest and most expensive hardware. Just look at the G80 rankings: very old hardware, but still good for hours and hours of overclocking fun!